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"I found out I had HIV when I was pregnant for the first time, in 2009. In Kyrgyzstan, all women are tested during pregnancy twice, once early on and once later in the pregnancy. They say it is your choice whether to get tested, but if you don't then you cannot get maternity services. The result was a shock but I wanted to have my child.

My medical card has a code on it which shows that I have HIV to anyone who knows the codes... as soon as people in the hospital saw that code, they didn't want to help me

I sat down with my own maternity doctor and with the AIDS Centre and made a plan with them about the delivery and how it would be managed, because there is a lot of stigma associated with HIV in Kyrgyzstan. So, my doctor understood the issues. But when I started to give birth, my doctor was not available. So that meant I had to go to the maternity hospital and be seen by whoever was there. My medical card has a code on it which shows that I have HIV to anyone who knows the codes. There was no question about whether I disclosed my status – it was already there, on my medical card. And as soon as people in the hospital saw that code, they didn't want to help me. They started to find all kinds of reasons for rejecting me, for not being able to help with the delivery, but it was only because they were afraid of my HIV. Even the management of the hospital didn't want to accept me.

When people came to help with the birth, they were dressed up with gloves and suits and masks like spacemen

Eventually, I managed to contact the Head of the AIDS Centre and they intervened with the Head of the hospital to let me stay there, because I was about to give birth. But even then and despite their intervention, I was put in an isolation room. When people came to help with the birth, they were dressed up with gloves and suits and masks like spacemen. They were obviously very reluctant to touch me or even the baby. They left us in isolation the whole time I was there recovering, even when the baby was crying. It was awful. Afterwards I went back to that hospital with people from the AIDS Centre. We did some training with them and I talked about my experience and why it was wrong. It was very successful and it has led to further training sessions in other maternity hospitals, so I hope that some good has come of it. But I know, from later experiences and from other women, that there is still a long way to go to get rid of stigma in our maternity system.

They left us in isolation the whole time I was there recovering, even when the baby was crying. It was awful

"

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We are hiring: Project and Admin Intern

We are looking for a Project and Admin intern, on a full-time basis, to be part of the European AIDS Treatment Group team in Brussels for 12 months, starting in September 2018.

The European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) is a non for profit European network of nationally-based volunteer activists comprising of more than 175 members from 47 countries in Europe. Our members are representatives of different communities affected by HIV/AIDS in Europe. The nature of the EATG implies that it has members all over Europe and sometimes even beyond.

Since its foundation, the EATG has been at the forefront of the development of the civil society response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe. It represents and defends the treatment-related interests of people living with HIV/AIDS. Our activities focus on treatment literacy and treatment advocacy. A major goal for EATG, when it was founded in 1992, was the simultaneous development of therapies in Europe, including not only antiretroviral therapies, but as well as treatments for opportunistic infections and other AIDS related conditions.

Responsibilities

Working Group and Project Assistance (60%)

Support in minute taking, reporting (reviewing/formatting);

Administrative and logistical support to working group officers and project managers;

Support in preparation of meetings (agendas, contacting participants etc.);

Development and involvement in projects and activities such as policy and advocacy, training and capacity building, affordability or women’s portfolio;

Other duties as assigned.

Office Assistance (40%)

General clerical duties including filing, drafting of documents, updating office and activity agenda;

Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Have EU nationality and/or right to work in Belgium without a work permit;

Excellent command of written and spoken English, any other language is an asset (especially Russian);

Please apply to office@eatg.org, attaching one pdf filecontaining only a cover letter (maximum 1 page) and a CV (maximum 2 pages), in English, detailing your competencies and experience relevant to this role and your reasons for applying for the post.

The file name must include the job title and your full name, and the email subject must include the position name only.

Application deadline: midnight CET, 5th August 2018

Type of Position: Internship

Renumeration: salary depends on age (minimum 640,70 EUR for an 18-year-old) plus other benefits.

Working hours per week: 38

Starting Date: September 2018

Any application arriving after the deadline or without the stipulated file requirements will not be considered.

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